What happened
The pilot encountered difficulties extending the left main landing gear in preparation for landing. After attempting to resolve the issue, the pilot was unable to retract the right main and nose gears, necessitating a belly landing. The aircraft touched down on the sod adjacent to the runway with the left main gear remaining retracted. During the subsequent slide, the nose gear collapsed.
The investigation
Following the accident, the aircraft was jacked up for examination. When the left gear doors were pried open, the left gear fell out and locked into the down position. Subsequent testing revealed that with the nose gear and left gear doors removed from the system, the main gears operated normally. The nose and left gear doors were omitted from further testing due to impact damage sustained during the event. Records indicated the aircraft had flown approximately one hour in the last year.
Findings
The investigation determined that the primary issue was the inability to properly cycle the landing gear system, leading to an emergency landing configuration. The mechanical integrity of the main gears was confirmed after isolating the damaged door components.